Reflections of a change process of an improvement driven organization: A mixed method study

Organizational change is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon. The problem this study addressed was the need to better understand the processes through which change occurs in the U.S. federal government. This study examined the change process of a federal regulatory agency in the U.S. Department of Education in Washington, D.C. The redesign of the agency's monitoring system was used as a basis to understand and describe how change occurred within the agency from 1999 to 2004. Data were collected through document review, electronic surveys, and person-to-person interviews of staff members directly involved in the design and implementation of the change. Participants were selected from across the agency to capture the diversity of perspectives regarding the change. Thirty-four participants responded to the survey and twelve were selected for face-to-face interviews. The study endeavored to understand how change occurred with respect to three domains: tempo of change, vector of change, and the human element of change. In addition, the study identified the factors that facilitated and presented challenges to the change process. Each of the three domains is represented by dichotomies of the change process. The study found that the pace of the change (tempo), how it was implemented (vector), and the impact on the people involved (human element) were interrelated. The study identified five major findings that emerged from the data: (1) the tempo of the change process was continuous and rapid; (2) the change process necessitated the acquisition of new learning; (3) workgroups were instrumental in facilitating the change; (4) changes in people's behaviors begins to elicit changes in agency culture; and (5) collaborative partnerships was a key element of the change process. A significant concern that emerged was the continuous nature of change conjoined with the rapid tempo of change and the significant increase in workload responsibilities created limited opportunities for critical elements such as reflection and training. Recommendations are offered for other similarly situated government agencies contemplating organizational change.